


Six Months on Patrol

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 06:36:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13992552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair aced the Police Academy - but the Union is insisting that he he serves time on patrol instead of going direct to Major Crime.





	Six Months on Patrol

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 sentinel Bingo prompt 'rainy day'

Six Months on Patrol

by Bluewolf

Blair aced the Police Academy, but the Union insisted that that only proved that he knew what to do, but not necessarily how to do it, when faced with a stubborn, possibly violent, possibly drugged-out-of-his-mind opponent. He had to do his time on the street.

"Are you really surprised?" Blair asked when Jim complained bitterly about hidebound, must-go-by-the-book, stick-in-the-mud idiots who were doing nothing but obstructing good cops who just wanted to get on with doing their jobs as efficiently as possible.

"Chief, the agreement Simon made with the Commissioner was that if you completed firearms training satisfactorily you could come straight into Major Crimes as my partner!"

"I know, but Jim, not even the Commissioner can defy the Union. And a lot of the guys who want positions in the Union are just looking for the power it gives them. The easiest way to give them the finger is to fall in with what they want without arguing. It's hiding the fact that it matters."

Jim sighed.

"And at least they're only insisting on six months," Blair added.

***

At least Sid Scroggie, the older patrol officer Blair was assigned to work with, understood the situation, and knew that Blair wasn't the average rookie cop. Sid was just sorry that they would be partnered for such a short time, while fully accepting that Blair was understandably anxious to get back to Major Crimes and the man he had worked with for over three years.

And it had taken less than a week for Sid to report back to Captain Neville that Blair was fully aware of 'how' as well as 'what' to do in pretty well any given situation.

Neville had nodded. "Doesn't surprise me. Ellison's not a man to tolerate any kind of what he sees as incompetence. But there's no telling Hagner that - " naming the Union chief.

***

Ten weeks later Blair was still riding with Sid.

He was enjoying working Patrol more than he had expected to, but he was worried about Jim, even although he knew Jim was temporarily partnered with Megan and he had given Megan a 'get-Jim-out-of-a-zone' kit.

***

It had often been said that Cascade owed its name to the amount of rain that fell on its streets.

In fairness, most people realized the exaggeration. Yes, it was pretty wet in the winter, but the rain was usually just a nice wetting drizzle. However, the city was experiencing a very wet several days, with rain heavier than usual; over the weekend nobody had left home if they hadn't had to. The streets were already running with water when, on the Tuesday of the second week of rain, the heavens opened and - as the weathermen later announced - around three inches of rain fell in just a few hours.

But the patrol cars still had to go out, even though the wipers were barely managing to clear the windshields. It was the first time that Blair had been happy that Sid did all the driving.

The streets were quiet. Very few drivers, it seemed, were willing to risk the conditions. Pedestrians were few and far between.

Sid was driving quite slowly when they saw, ahead of them, a young woman walking doggedly down the road. As they passed her, Blair watched her in the wing mirror, and so he saw, surprisingly clearly, the manhole cover thrown into the air on top of a column of water. Even as it hit her, Blair was already yelling, "Stop!"

Without waiting for Sid to back up, Blair threw the car door open, jumped out, slammed the door shut and ran back. He reached her before Sid got the car moving again.

She was moving weakly, but was obviously more than half stunned; and lying face down as she was, it was clear that she was breathing in water.

She might be hurt, and under normal circumstances moving her was contra-indicated; but Blair knew he had to get her face out of the water. He rolled her over carefully, just as Sid stopped the car beside him.

"Call an ambulance! Her nose and mouth were under water!" Blair gasped. He pressed down on her rib cage and some water trickled out of her mouth. He repeated the action, and she coughed up some more water.

***

An ambulance arrived surprisingly quickly, and as the EMTs lifted her into it, Blair told them what had happened. Meanwhile Sid was calling for workers to come and cordon off the coverless hole that gave access to the drainage system.

That done, Sid drove Blair home so that he would change into dry clothes, then they returned to the PD and wrote their report.

***

Wednesday dawned dry.

The streets were still running with water, but it was steadily reducing in quantity. It made for a much more pleasant patrol. They were only an hour into it when they got a call to return to the PD and report to Captain Neville.

Sid knocked on Neville's door, and they went in. Blair was surprised to see Simon standing beside Neville.

There was a man sitting in the visitors' chair; Blair stiffened when he realized it was Hagner - the Union boss.

Hagner looked round at them, and smiled. Smiled! "Ah, gentlemen," he said. "I understand that you saved a young woman from possibly drowning yesterday."

"It was a totally freak accident," Sid said, "and it was typical of Officer Sandburg that he reacted instantly. Do you know how she is?"

"She's recovering nicely at home. The thing is, gentlemen - this incident has shown me that Officer Sandburg does indeed know how to react in an emergency.

"I am therefore withdrawing my demand that he does six months in patrol. Captain Banks, Officer - Detective - Sandburg can take up his position in Major Crime immediately."

Sid grinned. "I'll miss you, Blair - but you're going where you belong."

Neville nodded his agreement.

"Thank you, sir," Blair said quietly.

***

And in Major Crime, he was greeted with open arms.

He was home.


End file.
